Nov 10, 2008 by Jared Smith
First of all, I have to give a huge thank you to the Coulam boys for making this hunt a success, to mulepacker for his infinite and generous elk wisdom, to my eternally patient and supportive wife, and to the many others who gave tips, ideas, and encouragement. This is my first bull elk.
Since learning I had drawn this late season limited entry elk tag, I spent a lot of time in the hills learning the area, seeing more elk and deer than I thought existed, getting in (better) shape, and learning the behaviors, patterns, and locations of big game. I logged around 180 miles of hiking before the hunt started.
I spent some time through the summer watching a big bull just a few miles from my home. He disappeared in late September. Then last Wednesday, 3 days before the hunt started, I spotted a big bull busting over a ridge 3 miles away right at dark. A closer look the next day showed he was a shooter bull and also the same bull we had seen earlier. I spent most waking moments for the next 2 days making the 2 mile steep climb and watching him until my eyes burned. I felt confident about where he’d be opening morning.
We’d hardly left the pickup on opening Saturday when a herd of elk came over the ridge. The cows were chirping and the 5 small bulls were even bugling, something I suppose is uncommon in November. Up the hill we went to find THE ONE. But he wasn’t there. My friend Clayton found a comfortable place and spent the next 3 hours glassing the canyons and then at 10am, he spotted him bedded down in a nasty canyon a mile away.
Two hours and a long, steep hike later, Tyson and I were in position with cameras rolling and I made a 320 yard shot to put the bull down. One shot, one kill with my trusty .270. He was dead in his bed.
It was an honor to share this experience with 2 outstanding young men. It wouldn’t have happened without their help. Their father spotted from the valley all day long and their older brother came up and played mule and packed a quarter out on his back. I’ve turned them all into elk fanatics. Thank you Coulams!!!
I’m not sure exactly what he scores (ladies, this is the manly hunter way of telling how big the antlers are), but I’ve had three different measurements of 374 inches gross and my own conservative measurement goes 370 6/8″ (357 6/8″ net), so I’m calling it a 360ish bull for now. It’s a bull and an experience of a lifetime.
Here’s some footage of the hunt including two different cameras on the kill shot and some video of the bull in the rut.
Posted in My Life | 13 Comments »
Apparently Henry Ford himself will rise from the grave and possess the souls of those poor, denigrated Detroit factory workers and lay waste to the land. (After all, whatever would these poor folks do without their unionized job making $70/hour to clean auto factory bathrooms or twist the same bolt all day long?)